Pallotti girls lacrosse coach Mark Mozier acknowledges patience isn't a strength, but he has shown an abundance of it this season. Of Pallotti's 26 players, 16 are underclassmen. And 13 of those had not played the sport before this spring.
"We have some good athletes, but some of them are trying too hard," Mozier said. "I have to constantly tell them, 'You can't do it all. Slow it down.' They all want to make it happen right away."
Mozier says Pallotti's first-year players — including juniors Samantha Durnbaugh, Lauren Vaughn, Alexis Roggerson, sophomores Eliz Hasby, Eda Hasby and Julie Roman and freshmen Dallis Holt, Brya Holt, Jamia Reese, Nicole Gore, Anna Olsson and Raquel Guzman — are eager to learn.
"They are improving and they have excelled faster than I thought they would," Mozier said. "This team has a great attitude and it's probably one of the funniest teams I've had."
Mozier has leaned on his most experienced players: sophomore midfielder Jordan Shughrue, junior midfielder Samantha Durnbaugh, senior attackers Abby Onyekweli and Tyrah Cobb-Davis.
"I rely on them a lot," Mozier said. "They weren't all starters last year. They had to develop and get better over the summer. And they really did."
The Panthers have a 2-9 overall record and are 1-7 in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland C Conference.
Pallotti beat Concordia Prep, 12-8, and Bishop McNamara, 11-10. Shughrue, who has a team-high 51 goals, had 12 in those games.
"We don't worry about wins and losses," Mozier said. "We are worried about learning. That's what it's all about."
Pallotti assistant coach Fredrica Newman likes the enthusiasm.
"You can see it in little victories every day," she said. "We have kids that are shooing harder and going to the goal. Kids that are doing things today that they never could have done on Day One. It just doesn't show up so much in the scorebook or the stat book."
Pallotti boys lacrosse coach looks to future
Pallotti first-year boys lacrosse coach Joe Stanilaus also sees potential in a team that has only two seniors, midfielder Justin Chenault and attacker Jake Harkum, in the starting lineup to go along with six underclassmen.
The Panthers are 0-4 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference, but have non-conference wins over Georgetown Day (12-7) and Key School (16-9).
"I have no problems with these kids taking some lumps early," said Stanilaus, "so when they are juniors and seniors, they understand what the process was. I think they have progressed tremendously."
The defense of junior co-captain Eddie O'Neill, sophomores Collin Batenga and Francis Oparaocha and freshman Lawrence Tucker and sophomore goalie Andrew Jumbelick has been solid.
"I would say the strength of our team is our defense," Stanilaus said. "We have an aggressive defense. They hold us in most games."
Chenault has been the catalyst on offense. He leads the team with 17 goals and ranks first in ground balls (25) and faceoffs won.
"His biggest asset as a player is his competitiveness," Stanilaus said. "He does everything by example."